


Coloring book

by soldiermom1973



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Between missions, Colored Pencils, Coloring Books, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Infatuation, M/M, artsy fartsy, damn the regs anyway, downtime, sst, ways to relax, who cares what other people think?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 05:31:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17698577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soldiermom1973/pseuds/soldiermom1973
Summary: In which Commander Shepard discovers he likes to color.





	Coloring book

**Author's Note:**

> Got an idea [from this post](https://www.instagram.com/p/BtkIHYXnJWZ/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1g1bxz90lftfs) and had to run with it.
> 
> I tried to edit it, but I'm only human and own my mistakes. I hope you enjoy it!

Shepard paused for a moment after stepping off of the elevator, taking advantage of the relative privacy to let out a heavy sigh, roll his eyes, and rub the back of his neck. “I hate politics,' he grumbled under his breath. His most recent communication to the Council had the turian councilor berating him (again, go figure) for some stupid thing that Shepard would have been berated for no matter what he did.

All he wanted now was a strong cup of coffee and a quiet place to sit and sign off on the never-ending pile of paperwork. _I don't know what I was thinking_ , he thought to himself, _like there isn't already enough paperwork involved with running my own ship, but to have the Spectre stuff on top of it? I swear I'm a glutton for punishment._ He cracked his neck and sighed again, straightening his posture and masking his frustration before rounding the corner to the mess. The crew didn't need to see how the Council's stubbornness affected him and he did his best to hide it.

When he rounded the corner, he stopped short – his good friend and the subject of numerous breathless fantasies, Kaidan Alenko, was sitting at the table with colored pencils scattered about. He was hunched over something and was scribbling away with the same intense focus he brought to every task he did. Shepard took a subtle half-step back, not wanting to alert the lieutenant to his presence. He watched the older man sit back a bit, frown, and reach for another pencil before hunching over his work again.

Shepard cocked his head, amazed that an adult would do something usually relegated to little kids and taken aback at how good Kaidan looked. It was times like this he cursed the Alliance regs against fraternization. His curiosity finally got the better of him and he moved closer. “Lieutenant?” he asked, bracing himself on the table and leaning over to get a better view. Yup, his training officer, a full grown adult and one of the most powerful biotics he knew, was coloring.

“Commander.” The acknowledgment was quiet and Shepard was surprised that Kaidan didn't jump to hide what he was doing. He was pretty sure if someone caught him with a paper and crayons, he'd be embarrassed as hell about it.

“What are you doing?” He could see what the other man was doing, he just wanted to hear him say it.

Kaidan reached for another pencil as he answered. “I'm coloring. You might want to have Dr. Chakwas check your eyes, though.”

Shepard chuckled and Kaidan grinned at the joke, but Kaidan didn't stop what he was doing. Shepard leaned in a little more and noticed his friend had taken great care to shade in various parts of some random geometric pattern with colors that went well together. “Coloring?”

Kaidan hummed in response and reached for a different pencil.

“You mean like what little kids do with crayons?”

“I prefer colored pencils,” he replied, still focused on his work. “Crayons get too dull too fast. Plus I can shade better with these.”

Shepard stared for a few more moments as more blank cells filled in with different hues of blue. “Why?” he finally asked.

“It's relaxing for me,” Kaidan shrugged, looking at his commanding officer. “You should try it some time.”

“Thanks, but I'll pass.” Shepard shook his head and made a beeline for the coffee pot. When his mug was full, he took a seat across from the other man and watched as the black and white picture in front of him gradually became more colorful.

“You aren't afraid of what someone might think?” he asked, not sure why he found Kaidan's hobby to be so mesmerizing.

Kaidan stopped what he was doing and laughed, a sound that clamped around Shepard's heart. “Shepard, I'm 32. I don't give a rat's ass what anyone thinks about me if they see me doing this.”

His expression turned more serious when he added, “And given the things you've done, you shouldn't care, either.”

At that, Kaidan reached into the backpack next to him and pulled out a second book, slid it across the table, and said, “Seriously. Try it.”

The sentinel turned his attention back to his almost-finished page. Shepard stared at the book in front of him – the cover was a multi-hued symmetrical shape of some sort. If he had a better head for geometry, he could have probably guessed what the shape was, but that wasn't the point, was it? Curiosity got the better of him and he flipped through the pages and didn't miss the smirk that crossed Kaidan's face when he did so.

He found a shape he liked about halfway through the book and stared at it. _How bad can it be?_ he thought to himself. 

His mind made up, he reached for one of the red pencils. The reports could wait while he tried this out. Worst case scenario, it did nothing for him except waste a few minutes of his time. Best case, though, he may just find a new, cheap hobby to help him unwind between missions.

Shepard was never the artsy type – he could barely draw stick people and he hated when he had to do scale drawings for sand table missions or come up with a loading diagram. As he worked, it was clear he had no eye for color, either – where Kaidan's picture had all the colors in the center gradually fading out as the reached the outside, Shepard's were all bold and bright and scattered throughout; reds mixed with browns mixed with yellows.

Still, Kaidan was right. There _was_ something relaxing about coloring. He was so focused on his work that hearing Kaidan chuckle almost startled him.

“You know you stick your tongue out a little when you're focused,” Kaidan observed, a huge grin across his face.

Shepard felt his cheeks flush at the attention. He knew he did it and when he caught himself, he was quick to stick his tongue behind his teeth, usually biting down on it softly to keep it from sticking out again. “Yeah,” he muttered, “I know.”

He sighed and leaned back, silently critiquing his work. “I just wish this looked as good as yours does.”

“You'll get it,” Kaidan shrugged, gathering up his materials and tossing them in his bag. “I started doing this right after brain camp, so I've got a lot of practice.”

He left a few pencils out and said, “You can keep all of that. I have plenty more.”

“You sure?” Shepard asked.

“Yeah,” Kaidan replied, giving his CO a warm smile and made his way to the elevator. “And Commander? If you ever want some tips or just someone to keep you company, let me know.”

Shepard jerked his head up at Kaidan's offer and was surprised to see the other man's face darken as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. He felt the corners of his mouth tug up in an ever-so-slight smile and said, “Will do, LT.”

Kaidan nodded and hurried around the corner while Shepard turned back to his work. If it weren't for the damn regs, he might have just chased after the other man but for now, he'd settle for the next time they'd get to color together.


End file.
